The Rise or Fall?
by WinterKit18
Summary: All the guardians are gone, except for Jack. He now has to save the world with a new guardian that is a little unwilling to help, to say the least. Will they be able to stop Pitch and rescue the other guardians? JackxTooth
1. Chapter 1

**I Do Not Own any of the characters from Rise of the Guardians except for Neve Winters.**

Chapter 1

"Jack, run!" was the last thing he had heard from Tooth as she was taken away by Pitch's nightmares. Jack Frost had tried to help Tooth but Pitch's nightmares had surrounded her and cut her off from him. Jack watch as the nightmares took off Tooth.

Jack flew off to escape. He kept looking over his shoulder hoping to see Tooth or North or any of the guardians, but nothing came. Jack tried to find the other guardians but they were all taken captive as well. He was alone, the guardians were gone.

Jack flew for about an hour until he came upon the city where his friend Jamie lived. Jamie was the first child to see and believe in Jack Frost, because of that Jack always came back to his city.

"I should have saved her," Jack growled at himself. Jack and Tooth had just started dating and they both really cared about each other. "Why couldn't I save her?"

"Ha, talking to a wall won't get your girlfriend back Jack," said a voice from the shadows scaring Jack out of his thoughts.

"What? Who's there and how do you know who I am?" Jack asked backing away from the voice.

"Me? I'm just a no body," said the voice from a different shadow.

The voice had started to ring a bell but he still wasn't sure who the voice belonged to. "You still answer my question."

"Yes I did. You ask who I was and I told you I'm nobody, I'm just a voice in the wind," the voice replied courtly.

Jack thought to himself, 'Okay it's a female voice, but where do I know the voice from?' He tried to think of all the people the voice belonged to. "My question you did not answer," Jack said, "was how do you know who I am?"

"Oh that," the voice said coming from yet another shadow. "I hear things, I hear the words lost in the wind, and let me tell you Jack, there are a lot of words about you lost in the wind."

"Wait, hang on I know you. You're the Northern wind, Neve Winters," Jack said as Neve stepped out of the shadows. Neve was 5'7" and very pretty. She had deep sapphire eyes, long black hair and she wore a knee-length dress that had snowflakes on it. The last time Jack had seen Neve, she was causing a lot of trouble, even more than himself. Jack's curiosity about what happened to the guardians made Jack cautious about why Neve was here. He finally decided to ask. "What are you doing here though?"

"Oh you know just going with the wind," Neve said chuckling to herself about her own pun. "I thought that I would like a change in scenery, see what I've missed these last few hundred years," Neve said with a shrug.

"That's a lie!" Jack said before he could stop himself.

Neve spun around and faced Jack, her anger was starting to boil. "Oh is it? And you, Jack Frost, just happen to know why I'm here," Neve said as her anger growing. What Neve hated the most was people prying into her life when they had no business and right to do so. Neve's anger was boiling even more because of this boy in front of her was acting like he owned her. "So now I have to tell you why I go, where I go, and when I go somewhere. You don't own me Jack Frost."

"What? I never said I did," Jack said in a hastily defense. "What is your problem Neve?"

"My problem is you and the other stupid guardians! You're supposed to keep us safe!" Neve yelled as tears started to stream down her face. With that she finally broke down and wept. As she wept, Neve sat on the curb and said, "You guys were supposed to protect us from Pitch and others like him."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked as he went over to Neve. He had never seen the girl cry before.

"My home was destroyed by Pitch's nightmares and they tried to take me as well," Neve said looking at the ground not wanting to meet Jack's gaze.

"What? Why would he try and take you?" Jack asked himself quietly. Slowly Jack's anger was becoming concern for the wind. He knew what it was like being hunted by Pitch's nightmares. "Why were they hunting you?"

"I don't know, the man in the moon said that I would no longer be alone. If this is what he meant by not being alone then I think I would rather take being alone," Neve said still looking at the ground, her voice full of pain.

"Wait did you say man in the moon?" Jack asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah so what," Neve said playing with the hem of her skirt. "He talks to me all the time," Neve said as she looked up into Jack's eyes.

"He talks to you all the time," Jack said shocked.

"Yes that's what I just said," Neve was starting to grow irritable towards Jack again.

"I never heard of the man in the moon talking to anyone except for us guardians and that's once in a while," Jack said trying to keep his tone in check. "If he always talks to you," Jack paused "That means you must be a guardian!"


	2. Chapter 2

"What, me a guardian?" Neve asked in disbelief at what Jack had just said. Neve tried hard not to start laughing at Jack. "No, no way, I'm not a guardian. The man in the moon was wrong and you're wrong," Neve said as she started walking away from Jack.

"Wait the man in the moon told you that you are a guardian?" Jack demanded as he raced over to Neve. He had never heard of anything like this happening. 'If there was a new guardian than the man in the moon would have told the guardians, right?' Jack thought to himself. Jack decided that he would have to push Neve if he was going to get her help, "Come on it makes sense that you're a supposed to be a guardian."

"No I'm not," Neve said getting angry that Jack kept pushing and insisting.

"Yes you are," Jack said pleadingly. 'Oh come on believe me,' jack pleaded to himself. "The man in the moon chose you, so you are, you have to be."

"No I'm not," Neve said very close to yelling.

"But…"

"No…I'm…Not!" yelled Neve at Jack. Neve was so angry at Jack that she summoned a wind and pushed Jack back as hard as she could. As Jack flew through the air and hit the wall ten feet behind him. "Jack I'm not a guardian and I don't want to be," Neve said in a whisper as she left.

With that Neve took off leaving Jack in a dazed state of what happened. Jack had never seen Neve act like that before. It startled Jack to know that Neve had that kind of power and she wasn't choosing the guardians. Deep down Jack knew that he had pushed too hard.

For the rest of the day Jack roamed around the city just thinking to himself. Although the children could see Jack, he still felt alone knowing that the other guardians were all gone. As Jack was thinking to himself, a little chirp sounded scaring him half to death.

"What? Baby Tooth, what are you doing here?" Jack asked as he regained his breath. The little fairy had always loved to follow Jack around when she wasn't busy.

After few chirps and squeaks later Baby Tooth had explained that all the guardian's homes were destroyed and the mini fairies had been taken captive by Pitch's nightmares. Pitch had made sure that each home was thoroughly destroyed and all that made the guardians a guardian was taken or destroyed.

Jack couldn't believe what he heard: all the baby teeth and fairies gone, North's factory ransacked and in chaos, Bunny's warren all his eggs destroyed, and Sandy's home gone as well. Everything seemed to be falling apart. He didn't know what to do, if tomorrow kids awoke without a visit from the Tooth fairy, they would then stop believing in Tooth and the guardians. If that happened the guardians would start to lose their strength. He couldn't let that happen.

"What am I going to do?" Jack asked himself out loud. "There's no way I can do all this by myself. I need help, but how am I supposed to get help?"

"I thought you were done talking to walls Jack?" Neve said as she stepped out of a shadow again.

Jack spun around surprised to see Neve standing there. He had expected Neve to have left the area and gone home. Jack tried to keep the surprise out of his voice, "What are you still doing here?"

"I thought that we had already went over the fact that you don't own me," Neve said sarcastically.

"Just go away Neve I don't need you bothering me right now," Jack said as he turned to leave.

"Wait, I'm sorry and I'm also sorry for what happened to your friends and their homes and Tooth's fairies," Neve said to Jack trying to sound sincere.

"What do you want Neve?" Jack asked trying hard to control his anger.

"I've decided to help you get your friends back on one condition. When this is all over you and the other guardians will leave me alone."


	3. Chapter 3

"Struggling is useless Bunnymund," said a sinister voice from the shadows.

"Let us go Pitch!" Tooth yelled from her cage. Pitch walked over to Tooth's cage and looked at her. Tooth yelled at Pitch in defiance, "You can't keep us here, Jack will find us!"

Pitch laughed at Tooth yelling. "That's what I'm counting on," Pitch said as he left the room.

"What are we going to do?" Tooth asked with concern in her voice after Pitch was gone. She did not like Pitch's last statement about expecting Jack to come.

"Come on mate, even if Pitch is expecting Jack, he won't get caught," Bunny said trying to lift Tooth's spirits.

"Bunny is right," North said from his prison. North looked at Sandy as pictures flashed above his head. "And Sandy is right as well."

* * *

"What do you mean; you'll help us as long as we leave you alone afterwards?" Jack asked shocked. Jack became furious at Neve and her attitude towards him.

"I mean just that," Neve said turning around not wanting to meet Jack's gaze.

"You selfish brat, no you're worse than a selfish brat!" Jack yelled no longer able to control his anger at Neve. "How can you say that? That you'll help but then you're out!"

"Um I seem to recall that you started out with the guardians only for yourself as well, you only wanted in after Tooth said Pitch stole you r baby teeth! So you have no room to judge me!" Neve yelled back.

"This is… this is different," Jack said lowering his head knowing full well what she was talking about.

"How is this different?" Neve demanded. She took a breath to calm herself down, "I seem to recall you talking to that wall over there about how you need help. Well I'm going to help you but then I'm out."

"You're a guardian," Jack said. "You're…"

"No," Neve cut Jack off, "I'm not a guardian and I will never want to be one."

"Fine, whatever!" Jack shouted at Neve. "This is getting us nowhere, if we keep going on arguing like this we'll be here all day," Jack said as he stepped back to take a breath. "We have to find Tooth and the other by night fall or we'll both have to collect all the teeth in the world and start searching again tomorrow."

"Okay, that's in six hours. So what do you purpose we do?" Neve asked gaining control over her anger towards Jack.

"I know where Pitch's lair is so we might as well start there," Jack said taking off into the sky. 'This is going to be a long trip,' Jack thought to himself.

Neve sighed to herself and followed Jack. The trio flew in silence, no one really wanting to talk to the other. Baby Tooth could sense the tension in the air between Jack and Neve. She decided it would be best to remain silent as they flew, but the silence was getting to her. Finally Baby Tooth could no longer take the silence and chirped in Jacks ear.

"Will you tell that little thing to get lost!" Neve yelled. She was tired of seeing the little fairy buzz around Jack acting like his protector.

"Hey, leave Baby Tooth alone!" Jack yelled back stopping in midair to face Neve. "She is Tooth's last free fairy, so she's coming with us."

"I don't care," Neve yelled. "She's an annoying little pest that will only slow us down."

Jack didn't know who was more upset him or Baby Tooth. "No she's coming with us and that's that."

"So it is true," Neve said staring at Jack not moving from her spot.

"What's true?" Jack asked in an exasperated tone, as he continued on towards Pitch's lair.

"The reason why you're so attached to that fairy is because she saved your life, she saved who you are," Neve said as she tried to gauge Jack's reaction to her statement.

Jack froze in midair, no one had known about what Baby Tooth had done except for Tooth. "How do you know about that?" Jack demanded as he turned and faced Neve.

"Like I said I hear things," Neve said in a dismissive tone.

"No that is something you don't hear unless someone told you," Jack said bringing his staff up in a defensive position. "So who told you?"

"…" Neve didn't know what to say. She had been warned not to bring this up around Jack, but Neve had to know for sure.

"Well?" Jack demanded.

"Pitch."


	4. Chapter 4

"What?" Jack exploded. He surged towards Neve in a blind rage. "How could you?"

Neve ducked out of Jack's way. She used the winds to her advantage to keep Jack off balance. Baby Tooth tried to attack Neve but was swatted away. Jack swooped down and grabbed Baby Tooth and put her in his hood. This time Jack slowed down to attack. As he was getting ready to strike, Neve created a small tornado between them that flung Jack back.

"Stop and listen to me," Neve said as she kept a blasting air at Jacks frost strikes.

"Why should I?" Jack said as he sent another strike towards Neve. "Why should I even trust you?"

"Because I had no choice!" Neve shouted.

"Oh sure like I'm supposed to believe that, you always have a choice!" Jack shouted back. "You could have run when Pitch first arrived."

Neve dodged another strike then said, "I tried but he captured me and took me to his lair."

With that Neve floated down to the ground. Jack looked at Baby Tooth then followed her. Jack could see from her shoulders that Neve had given up. Baby Tooth flew out of Jack's hood and went over to Neve and sat on her shoulder.

Neve sat on the sidewalk. "Wha… Oh," Neve said as she looked at the little fairy. Neve put her hand out to Baby Tooth to sit on. As Baby Tooth got resituated on Neve's hand, she looked over at Jack and said "Pitch made me do it."

Jack's face softened as he walked over to Neve. "What do you mean he made you do it?" Jack asked as he sat beside Neve.

"You know my little brother, the southern wind; he got himself into trouble with Pitch a while back. Pitch was going to use him to get to the guardians, but I said that I would take my brother's place instead. Jack I did it to save my little brother okay," Neve said as her tears rushed down her face.

"Why was Pitch using you?" asked Jack.

"I don't know but he gave me this," Neve said as she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a pitch black snowflake tattoo on her upper arm. "For weeks I could hear Pitch's voice in my head telling me things, that was until the man in the moon started talking to me."

"How did Pitch do this to you?" Jack said as he touched the snowflake.

"I don't remember, all I know was that Pitch had said that my brother had a debt that was due. I stepped in front of him and said that I would take his place. I then woke up with this on my arm," Neve said as she rolled back down her sleeve.

"Oh…" Jack said ashamed of the way he had acted towards Neve. "Neve I'm sorry."

"No I am, I should have never acted like that towards you," Neve said.

"You know what?" Jack said.

"What?" said Neve.

"You remind me of my younger sister," Jack said with a slight chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Neve asked.

"This whole time I kept trying to prove that I can be this great guardian, that I can still…" said Jack trialing off.

"You are a great guardian and Tooth is lucky to have you as her boyfriend," Neve said looking at Jack.

"Do you remember who you were before?" Jack asked.

"No, when I first awoke the man in the moon said that I had a little brother and that was it," Neve said as she played with a mini tornado in her hands.

"Here," Jack said as he put snowflakes in Neve's mini tornado.

Neve chuckle, "A controlled mini disaster, something only a few could create."

"Yeah," Jack said looking at their creation. "You know getting hit with one of these on a larger scale is sure to cause so damage."

"You mean going after Pitch and releasing this on him," Neve said with a smile.

"How surprised would he be if that happened, and we also have the upper hand," Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Neve asked.

"You," Jack said as his smile grew wider.


End file.
